2011 is officially behind us. That means that it’s time to look back on the year that was and choose our favorite new bikes and trikes. Before you start drafting your emails, remember that we do have a few requirements. First of all… The bike or trike must be all new or significantly revised for 2011. Secondly it must have been widely available in the USA for a large portion of the year. With that in mind… Here are our choices.

BIKE OF THE YEAR

Linear Roadster – It’s not the prettiest bike out there but man does it ride nice. The major reason that we chose the Roadster was because we’re really happy to see a nice new American-made short wheelbase bike with underseat steering. The USA used to dominate this segment. Now most good USS/SWB’s are full suspension bikes that come from Holland and Germany. The Roadster is also the best handling USS bike I’ve ever ridden. And now it’s also available in an overseat steering version that handles just as sweetly!

TRIKE OF THE YEAR

Catrike Villager - Catrike’s Villager underwent a major redesign for 2011. The most noticeable change was the adjustable seat angle. Catrike has resisted this change for several years. Their trikes have always been known for the stiffness provided by their unique space frame and the company was hesitant to sacrifice that. Well, they finally figured out how to have their cake and eat it to. The new Villager feels every bit as stiff as the old one and only weighs half a pound more. The adjustment mechanism itself is a joy to use and is the new benchmark for others to measure up to.